Personal Income and Outlays: September 2009

Personal income decreased $0.1 billion, or less than 0.1 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) decreased $0.2 billion, or less than 0.1 percent, in September, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) decreased $47.2 billion, or 0.5 percent. In August, personal income increased $17.4 billion, or 0.1 percent, DPI increased $14.1 billion, or 0.1 percent, and PCE increased $139.8 billion, or 1.4 percent, based on revised estimates. Real disposable income decreased 0.1 percent in September, compared with a decrease of 0.2 percent in August. Real PCE decreased 0.6 percent, in contrast to an increase of 1.0 percent.

Supplements to wages and salaries increased $0.1 billion in September, compared with an increase of $2.0 billion in August. Proprietors’ income increased $0.7 billion in September, compared with an increase of $3.4 billion in August. Farm proprietors’ income decreased $1.6 billion, compared with a decrease of $1.2 billion. Nonfarm proprietors’ income increased $2.3 billion, compared with an increase of $4.6 billion.

Rental income of persons increased $5.4 billion in September, compared with an increase of $5.2 billion in August. Personal income receipts on assets (personal interest income plus personal dividend income) decreased $13.8 billion, the same decrease as in August. Personal current transfer receipts increased $17.3 billion in September, compared with an increase of $9.6 billion in August.

Contributions for government social insurance — a subtraction in calculating personal income — decreased $1.4 billion in September, in contrast to an increase of $1.7 billion in August.

Personal Current Taxes and Disposable Personal Income

Personal current taxes increased $0.1 billion in September, compared with an increase of $3.3 billion in August. Disposable personal income (DPI) — personal income less personal current taxes — decreased $0.2 billion, or less than 0.1 percent, in September, in contrast to an increase of $14.1 billion, or 0.1 percent, in August.

Personal Outlays and Personal Saving

Personal outlays — PCE, personal interest payments, and personal current transfer payments — decreased $48.8 billion in September, in contrast to an increase of $138.2 billion in August. PCE decreased $47.2 billion, in contrast to an increase of $139.8 billion.

Personal saving — DPI less personal outlays — was $355.6 billion in September, compared with $307.0 billion in August. Personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income was 3.3 percent in September, compared with 2.8 percent in August. For a comparison of personal saving in BEA’s national income and product accounts with personal saving in the Federal Reserve Board’s flow of funds accounts and data on changes in net worth, go to www.bea.gov/national/nipaweb/Nipa-Frb.asp.

Real PCE — PCE adjusted to remove price changes — decreased 0.6 percent in September, in contrast to an increase of 1.0 percent in August. Purchases of durable goods decreased 7.2 percent, in contrast to an increase of 6.7 percent. Purchases of motor vehicles and parts accounted for most of the decrease in September and for most of the increase in August, reflecting the impact of the federal CARS program (popularly called “cash for clunkers”). The program, which provided a credit for customers who purchased a qualifying new, more fuel efficient auto or light truck, ended on August 24, 2009. For further information on how the CARS program is reflected in the GDP statistics, please see the FAQ at BEA’s Web site, www.bea.gov, “How will the federal Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act of 2009 (i.e., the CARS program) be reflected in the National Income and Product Accounts (NIPAs)?” Purchases of nondurable goods increased 0.5 percent in September, compared with an increase of 0.9 percent in August. Purchases of services increased 0.1 percent, compared with an increase of 0.2 percent.

PCE price index — The price index for PCE increased 0.1 percent in September, compared with an increase of 0.3 percent in August. The PCE price index, excluding food and energy, increased 0.1 percent, the same increase as in August.

Revisions

Estimates have been revised for July and August. Changes in personal income, current-dollar and chained (2005) dollar DPI, and current-dollar and chained (2005) dollar PCE for July and August — revised and as published in last month’s release — are shown below.

NOTE. – – Monthly estimates are expressed at seasonally adjusted annual rates, unless otherwise specified. Month-to-month dollar changes are differences between these published estimates. Month-to-month percent changes are calculated from unrounded data and are not annualized. “Real” estimates are in chained (2005) dollars.

Monthly Review Essays

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